The sexiest Scheherazade you will ever hear
CalCruisin | California | 07/12/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is no doubt it: this is the Schererazade to own. Fritz Reiner with the CSO playing in the old Chicago Hall with its wonderful resonance cannot be matched.Some will argue that the digital recording of Sir Charles Mackerras and the LSO is much better. And they are right. But what is a good recording without a great performance? The LSO plays this romantic Russian piece straight up, without passion!Listen to the second movement of both recordings, and see how the swagger of the Kalendar Prince in the second movement is lost to Sir Charles, but comes through with such savoir faire with Reiner.Or listen to the solo violinist with Chicago pull the last ounce of drama out of the first movement.Or listen to the third movement with the prince and princess in the garden, and feel the romance that Reiner brings out. This is the sexiest Scheherazade you will ever hear."
From the Golden Age of Stereo
Moldyoldie | Motown, USA | 07/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (d. 1908) was a master of orchestral color and it's no more exemplified than in his popular warhorse suite Scheherazade. Hungarian conductor Fritz Reiner, unlike Charles Munch in Boston, was a stern taskmaster in rehearsal who according to several accounts would often berate and abuse wayward orchestra members. Still, this discipline made the Chicago Symphony one of the great orchestras of the world, perhaps the finest in America along with Cleveland, a reputation that holds to this day. Likewise, this must be one of the truly great recorded performances of this oft recorded work -- filled with hair-raising excitement, meltingly beautiful solo work, and incredible orchestral virtuosity -- all captured in a recording that can stand comparison with the very best ever made of this work, even after close to half a century.
Reiner's recording of La Mer by Claude Debussy, also unlike Munch's (see my review), is "painted" in primary colors instead of pastels. The unfolding daybreak is shimmeringly clear; the swells and ebbs of the sea are defined with powerful and precise ensemble; orchestral details obscured in Munch's recording are clearly divined amidst the swirling clamor and excitement. This is not a seascape painted by Monet! Like most great works, La Mer can probably stand a variety of approaches; what it probably can't stand is an uncommitted performance since its outward simplicity is deceptive. With its blending colors and constantly shifting dynamics, this must be extremely difficult to perform convincingly as it certainly is here."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1